Mount Rushmore - musical "death rattles"

[QuikSand]

Here's what I mean: an act (singer, band, whatever) has already generated a body of work and appears to be done...yet surprises us by turning out one more song/album/event that ends up being noteworthy, important, great, or whatnot. Grading here, I think, includes all facets - the greatness of the late hit, the greatness of the earlier career, and (subtly) the degree of surprise that the act had anything left to offer.

(Hope that's clear enough)

MR rules in effect. Four to carve into the mountain, then you get to discuss.

[albionmoonlight]

Johnny Cash--American Recordings Series

Eric Clapton--Unplugged

Eagles--Hell Freezes Over tour

Santana--Smooth

Not a balanced Mount Rushmore by any stretch. To me, Cash/American is worth four on its own. Then the Clapton/Unplugged one is a solid choice. I had to think on my other two, and, while I like them well enough, I do not think that they really balance out their side of the mountain. I also expect that other's choices will cause me to move those two out when I think "yeah, why didn't I think of that."

[rowech]

Here's what I mean: an act (singer, band, whatever) has already generated a body of work and appears to be done...yet surprises us by turning out one more song/album/event that ends up being noteworthy, important, great, or whatnot. Grading here, I think, includes all facets - the greatness of the late hit, the greatness of the earlier career, and (subtly) the degree of surprise that the act had anything left to offer.

(Hope that's clear enough)

MR rules in effect. Four to carve into the mountain, then you get to discuss.

Interesting question...Here are mine...

1. Heart -- Never album including "These Dreams", "What About Love", "Never", and some other great songs. Not that they were off the radar but they were on their way out and bam came this album.

2. Metallica -- I'm putting them on here not for one comeback but two. First, they came out with "And Justice for All" after the death of Cliff Burton. Lot of people never thought they could match those first three albums. Their second one comes with "Death Magnetic" which is a fantastic album after some so-so material which while it sold, was not up to their standards.

3. Aerosmith -- Permanent Vacation was an album that really came out of nowhere and launched them back into popularity. I hate where it led them but it made them relevant after almost a decade.

4. Tough call between Ozzy Osbourne for Blizzard of Ozz or ACDC for Back in Black. I think I would choose Ozzy Osbourne because in my opinion, he had a much higher level to get back to than ACDC perhaps did after Bon Scott's death.

[Scarecrow]

I'll add my personal MR rule (can't use one already mentioned)

1. Boston - Third Stage
2. Pink Floyd - Momentary Lapse of Reason
3. Paul Simon - Graceland
4. Tina Turner - Private Dancer

[cartman]

John Lennon - Double Fantasy
A literal death rattle. His first studio album in several years, released just weeks before his assassination.

Roy Orbison - Mystery Girl
Another one released shortly before the artist's death. This, along with his contributions with The Traveling Wilburys, showed that he went out on top.

Marvin Gaye - Midnight Love
I might be taking the death rattle thing a bit too literally here. But after thinking that he was done for after leaving Motown, he released this album with the hit 'Sexual Healing'.

Moody Blues - The Other Side of Life
Finally one that doesn't involve the literal death of the artist. The Moody Blues were huge in the 60s, but had a dry spell that was ended with the release of this album in 1986, and the track 'In Your Wildest Dreams', which was their final #1 hit.

[Shkspr]

Johnny Cash - Hurt (I'm skeptical of the cultural impact of the rest of the Rubin sessions)

Elvis -'68 Comeback Special (the George Washington of rock comebacks)

Cher - Believe (Just the sheer improbability, plus the #1 hit status, puts this on the list)

Greatful Dead - Touch of Grey was an unlikely last hit, and garnered them a whole new generation of fans who never heard them live.

[Sublime 2]

Johnny Cash - American IV: The Man Comes Around

Aerosmith - Permanent Vacation

Queen - Live Aid concert (first one that really popped into my head)

ACDC - Back in Black

[Maple Leafs]

Johnny Cash - "Hurt". Almost seems like a definitive example of what we're going for.

Santana - "Smooth". Good suggestion by albionmoonlight

Queen - Not sure it really fits what QS is going for here, but they'd been an afterthought in the US for a decade when Bohemian Rhapsody suddenly shot up the charts again when Wayne's World came out.

Meat Loaf - Had anybody thought about Meat Loaf for 20 years before that "I won't do that" song was suddenly everywhere? Bonus points for also showing up in Fight Club.

[judicial clerk]

Simon & Garfunkle Central Park concert

Elvis comeback special

Johnny Cash hurt

G&R chinese democracy (just kidding) can't think of a fourth

[nol]

Here's one that hasn't been mentioned: Gil Scott-Heron's "I'm New Here." I can't think of any other album ranking higher in the third category. It was his first album in sixteen years, and he'd been in and out of prison on drug charges and had been HIV positive for a while. The remix album, "We're New Here" had a track that became the basis for the Drake/Rihanna song "Take Care."

Other than that, can't think of anything that hasn't already been said. My other three would probably be Hurt, Graceland, and either Queen's Live Aid set or Back in Black. I wouldn't be surprised if a future Bob Dylan album ended up on this list, though.

[path12]

I wouldn't be surprised if a future Bob Dylan album ended up on this list, though.

Not even a future one, there is certainly a Dylan album to fit.

Dylan -- Time out of Mind. Came pretty much out of nowhere and the first of his surprisingly strong trifecta that was followed by Love and Theft and Modern Times.

Cash -- The Man Comes Around

Elvis Costello -- The Delivery Man. I had pretty much written him off after Blood and Chocolate but I think this was a remarkable return to form.

Fourth one is tough........let's try something that is brand new:

Deltron 3030 -- Deltron Event II. Did you actually expect this long delayed follow up to be good? I'm happily wrong so far.

[Maple Leafs]

Getting kind of anxious for QS to come back and tell us what the right answers were.

[JPhillips]

Cash- American Recordings

Duke Ellington - Live at Newport

Beastie Boys - Make Some Noise

Santana - Smooth

[Kodos]

Surely, it must include Billy Joel - River of Dreams.

[TRO]

Ray Charles - Genius Loves Company.

Recorded at age 73.

[Carman Bulldog]

Robert Plant (and Alison Krauss) - Raising Sand

[Suicane75]

Beach Boys- Kokomo
Bee Gees- One
Tears For Fears- Sowing The Seeds Of Love
Boy George- The Crying Game

[corbes]

Johnny Cash, American Recordings
Mississippi John Hurt, 1963 Newport Folk Festival
Buena Vista Social Club (1997, self titled)
Talking Heads Reunion Album (forthcoming)

I really like the Gil Scott-Heron vote
Honorable Mention (but not Mt. Rushmore) to Steve Winwood, About Time

[albionmoonlight]

Surely, it must include Billy Joel - River of Dreams.

Actually, it is a yet-to-be-released Billy Joel song: "Numbers Never Lie," a seven-minute ballad in which he argues for Tim Brown's Hall of Fame candidacy.

(Just doing my part to bring Q out of hiding for Maple Leafs.)

[Groundhog]

Most of the big name 70s prog groups that have put out albums in the 90s/2000s have been lame, but my rushmore of prog death rattles from bands that refuse to die:

Magma - Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré
Released nearly 40 years after their debut album, and Magma's best IMO. Most of the tracks were reworkings of older pieces, but the new composition was the highlight. I haven't heard their latest (2012) album as yet, but it's also apparently very strong.

Yes - Fly From Here
A touch cheesy in places (well, this is a Yes album, afterall...), but amazing in other places. 'Sad Night at the Airfield' in particular is IMO among their best ever. Also saw these guys live last year, and wow, what a show from a (mostly) bunch of oldies.

Camel - Rajaz
I'm not a huge Camel fan and find their 'classic' 70s releases pretty inconsistent - great tracks laying aside throw-aways. This one is much the same, but has some really great moments, and only a few lapses.

King Crimson - The Power to Believe
It's not up to the quality of their 70s stuff, but this album was far better and more modern sounding than it had any right to be.